Dispensing apparatus with pivotable article containers

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for dispensing articles, particularly video tape cassettes, comprising a plurality of containers (26) for the articles and arranged in columns and having a transparent front panel to allow a user to identify the article therein. Each container being pivoted (42) and held closed by a latch (34, 47). Operation of the apparatus by a user selecting a container releasing the latch and allowing the container to be moved to an open position by a spring (53).

This invention relates to article dispensing apparatus and in particularapparatus suitable for dispensing video tape cassettes. The apparatus isconveniently embodied in a vending machine which is capable of sellingand/or renting such cassettes. However the dispensing apparatus hasother applications.

According to one aspect of the invention we provide article dispensingapparatus comprising a row of substantially identical containerspivotally mounted side-by-side on a supporting structure, each containerbeing in the form of a pocket closed at one end and open at the otherand having a transparent front panel so that an article in the containercan be seen by a user of the apparatus, each container being pivoted ata position adjacent the corner between its front face and its closed endto the structure so as to be pivotable between a closed position,wherein an article in the container is inaccessible, and in openposition wherein an article can be removed from or replaced in thecontainer by a user of the apparatus, latch means associated with eachcontainer to hold it in its closed position and operable to release thecontainer to enable it to move to its open position, and control meansoperable by said user to operate a selected latch means to allow theassociated container to move to its open position.

Other features of the invention will be clear from the followingdescription and claims.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail and byway of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vending machine embodying apparatus ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 is a section through one of the containers shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the container shown in FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are plan and elevational views of a sleeve to receive avideo tape cassette and capable of being received in oen of thecontainers.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the vending machine there shown comprises amaster unit 10 and a slave unit 11 which are connected together and aresupported by a rectangular, framelike leg 12.

The master unit contains a control panel 14 which in turn contains adisplay 15, a wipe-through card reader 16, a key pad 17, a coinagereceiver 18, a bar code reader 19, a card reader 20 for reading a creditcard and a printer outlet 21.

The tape cassettes are received in columns of containers, there are foursuch columns of containers indicated generally at 22, 23, 24 and 25. Thecolumns 22 and 23 are in the master unit and the columns 24 and 25 arein the slave unit. The columns are made up of modules of eightcontainers, each of the columns having four such modules except column23 which has only two. The control and operation of all the containersis from the control panel 14. Additional slave units having additionalcolumns of containers may be added to the right-hadn end of the assemblyand controlled from the control panel 14.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section through one of the columns 22 to 25 andshows a container 26.

The container is moulded from a high strength transparent plasticmaterial and is in the form of a pocket of generally rectangular crosssection as shown in FIG. 3. Thus the pocket has a transparent front face27, a closed end 28 and an open end 29. The container has a back face 30having an aperture 31 therein. A projection 32 in the form of a ribextends rearwardly from the back face 32 and is continued at 33 alongthe closed end 28. The rib has an abutment surface 34 nad an inclinedsurface 35. The rib extension 33 on the closed end terminates in apocket 36. It iwll be seen that the open end 29 of the container is cutaway so that an article received therein may be grasped when thecontainer is open, as will be described, and that the rear face 31diverges at tis upper end, in FIG. 2, as indicated at 37 ending in anabutment 38.

The rear face 30 is formed on its internal surface with pairs of ribs 38and 40 on either side of the aperture 31 and these ribs provide a groove41 between them as shown in FIG. 3. As shown in that figure the ribstaper from the closed end 28 towards the open end 29 to allow themoulding tool to be withdrawn.

The rear face 30 is formed on its internal surface with pairs of ribs 39and 40 on either side of the aperture 31 and these ribs provide a groove41 between them as shown in FIG. 3. As shown in that figure the ribstaper from the closed end 28 towards the open end 29 to allow themoulding tool to be withdrawn.

The pocket is pivoted about an axis which in use is vertical and isindicated at 42, the pocket being provided with an apertured lug 43 forthat purpose. The container in FIG. 2 is shown in a closed position andhas an abutment 44 which engages a fixed abutment 45 on the supportingstructure of the unit.

The container isheld in a closed position by a pair of links 46 whichare pivoted at 47 to the supporting structure and, at their upper endsin FIG. 2, are connected by a pin 47 which engages the abutment surface34. Also secured to the pin 47 is a link 48 which in turn is connectedto a solenoid 49. The link 48 is spring urged to the right in FIG. 2 sothat the parts normally occupy the positions shown in that FIGURE. Thesolenoid is mounted at 50 on the supporting structure 51 which alsocarries a support 52 for the pivot axis 42.

A U-shaped spring 53 has one end received in the pocket 36 and the otherend engages the structure 51. The arrangement is such that if thesolenoid 49 is energised it pivots the links 46 in an anti-clockwisedirection i nFIG. 2, the pin 47 comes out of engagement with theabutment surface 34 and the container is moved by the spring 53 to anopen position in which the abutment 38 is midway between the positionshown in FIG. 2 and the abutment 45. The customer may then open thecontainer against the spring 53 until the abutment 38 engages theabutment 45. Release of the container results in the spring returning itto its midway position and then it may be closed by the customer. In thefully open position an article in the container can be removed orreplaced.

The container is shut manually and as it is moved to its closed positionthe surface 35 engages the roller 47 and retracts the link 48 unti lthecontainer reaches its fully closed position whereupon the link 48 movesto the right in FIG. 2 and the pin 47 again engages the abutment surface34 to hold the container in a closed position.

For each container there are two sensing means which comprisemicro-switches and sensing arms. THe micro-switches are indicated at 54and one of them has a sensing arm 55 which has a free position shown at55a. This arm senses whether or not a container is in its open or closedposition by engaging the rear face 30 of the container as shown at 55b.The second micro-switch has an arm 56 which projects through theaperture 31 into the interior of the container as shown in FIG. 2 andcan sense whether or not there is an article in the container.

If, after a container has been opened, it is not shut by the user of theapparatus, this will be sensed by the arm 55 which will disable theapparatus until the container has been shut.

The micro-switches are carried on a printed circuit board 57 secured toa plate 58. Each board 57 runs the whole length of a module of eightcontainers nad carries all the micro-swithces for the containers in themodule.

The machine is designed to dispense video tape cassettes and it isimportant to the operation of the machine when used with such cassettes,that the name on the cassette can be read through the transparent frontface 27 of the container. It is therefore important that the tape beplaced in the container in an appropriate position.

This is effected by having a transparent sleeve which is shown in FIGS.4 and 5 which in turn contains the tape cassette, not shown, and whichis so arranged that it will only fit into the container in oneorientation. Moreover the cassette will only fit into the sleeve in oneorientation.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the sleeve is indicated generally at 60 andis in the form of a pocket which has a closed end 61 and an open end 62.The sleeve is dimensioned to fit within the container 26 and is mouldedfrom a similar transparent plastic material to that from which thecontainer is made. The sleeve has an external rib 63 which isdimensioned to fit in the groove 41 and at one end of the rib 63 is anabutment 64. The other end 65 of the rib 63 is chamfered. It followsthat the sleeve can only be inserted into the container when the end 65of the rib 63 can be entered into the groove 41. It follows that thetransparent front face 66 of the pocket will be behind the transparentfront face 27 of the container and the name on the cassette can be readthroughthe faces 27 and 66.

In use, a user can operate the machine with, for example, a pre-paidclub card. The user will pass the club card through the card reader 16and will identify himself. He may then selecte a container, thecontainers being numbered, by operating the key pad 17. THe containerwill then open because the control means will have controlled theappropriate solenoid 49 to pivot the links 46 to release the containerwhich will then be opened bythe spring 53. The user will then remove thesleeve nad the cassette and will then close the container as described.

If the user fails to close the container then this will be sensed by thearm 55 of one of the micro-switches 54 and the machine will be disableduntil such time as the container has been properly closed.

If the user selects a container which is empty this will be sensed bythe switch 56 and an appropriate display will come up on the display 15telling the user to select another container.

It will be appreciated that each of the containers in the columns orrows 22 to 25 will be arranged as shown in FIG. 2.

Instead of being supported on a leg such as 12 the apparatus may besecured toa floor or wall.

The invention provides apparatus for dispensing articles which isparticularly useful in a vending machine for selling or renting videotape cassettes but may be used in other applications.

We claim:
 1. Article dispensing apparatus comprising a row ofsubstantially identical contaienrs pivotally mounted side-by-side on asupporting structure, each container being in the form of a pocketclosed at one end and open at the other end and having a transparentfront panel so that an article in the container can be seen by a user ofthe apparatus, each container being pivoted at a position adjacent thecorner between its front face and its closed end to the structure so asto be pivotable between a closed position, wherein an article in thecontainer is inaccessible, and an open position wherein anarticle can beremoved from or replaced in the container by a user of the apparatus,latch means associated with each container to hold it in its closedposition and operable to release the container to enable it to move toits open position, and control means operable by said user to operate aselected latch means to allow the associated container to move to itsopen position, the apparatus also comprising first sensing means tosense whether or not the container is in its open or closed position andsecond sensing means to sense whether or not there is an article in thecontainer when it is closed, the control means being associated with thesecond sensing means and operable by said user to operate a latch meansof a selected one of the containers if it contains an article to enablethe container to move to its open position, and disabling meansassociated with the first sensing means which prevents operation of thecontrol means to open a selected container if any one of the containersis not in its closed position.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 whereineach container is spring biased towards its open position and held inits closed position by the latch means.
 3. Apparatus according to claim1 wherein the latch means comprises a member pivoted to the supportingstructure and arranged in an operative position to engage a projectionon the container when the latter is in tis closed position, the controlmeans being arranged to pivot the member to an inoperative position outof engagement with the projection to allow a container to be opened. 4.Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said member is spring biased toits operative position and the projection on each container is so shapedthat, as the container is closed, the projection displaces the member toits inoperative position and when the container is fully closed themember springs back to engage the projection.
 5. Apparatus according toclaim 1 wherein when a container is in its closed position the end ofthe front face remote from the pivot engages an abutment on thesupporting structure and when the container is in its fully openposition a part of the rear face engages the said abutment.
 6. Apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein the container and an article receivedtherein are pivoted with co-operating formations to ensure that thearticle can only be placed in the container in a single orientation. 7.Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said formations comprise aco-operating groove and rib, the rib being arranged so that it can onlyenter the groove in one orientation.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 7wherein a transverse abutment is provided at one end of the rib toprevent that end being received in the groove.